CA to consider twilight cricket

Some Sheffield Shield matches may stretch into twilight next summer as Cricket Australia considers a proposal for a potential step towards discovering the viability of day-night Tests.

If the proposal is adopted, play would continue until about 8 p.m. for certain designated matches. However, in what CA called a "half-measure", the traditional red ball will be used rather than the pink version that has not been fully tested yet.

The Australian board's move comes in the wake of the ICC cricket committee's recent request for countries to test the feasibility of playing day-night games in the longer versions of the sport at the first-class level.

According to the Age, the topic has already been discussed by CA's playing conditions committee, and the next step is to identify suitable grounds and dates, depending on the amount of dew and when the sun sets.

''We are very conscious of the ICC Cricket Committee suggestion that they would like to see some trials at first-class level in different parts of the world and we have always been very keen on trying to play cricket at times when people want to watch it,'' a CA spokesman said.

CA have also handed over a bag of pink and orange balls to the ICC for further testing. While Channel Nine has argued for orange, saying it would be better for television viewers, the ICC's cricket committee thinks the pink ball has more promise.